County to commit $300K to bulk up fight against meth

The county commission added some muscle to the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit.

By Jef RietsmaJournal Correspondent

The concept of a beefed-up and specially trained group of law-enforcement officials was approved Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners.

By committing more than $300,000 to cover a three-year agreement with the cities of Sturgis and Three Rivers, the county commission added some muscle to the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit.

Undersheriff Mark Lillywhite, who appeared before commissioners to field questions about the proposal, said the three-year plan involves the county’s two largest municipal police departments and a community campaign to promote zero tolerance toward methamphetamine.

“This should send a message to the people who produce, sell or use meth in St. Joseph County,” Lillywhite said afterward. “It’s a logical step because the majority of the crime in the county stems from controlled-substance abuse … people doing illegal things to get drugs or stealing property to trade in order to obtain drugs.”

In coming weeks, Lillywhite will work closely with Sturgis Public Safety Director David Northrup and Three Rivers Chief Tom Bringman to map out the enhanced SCAN unit. Currently operating with just two specially trained investigators from the sheriff’s department, SCAN will increase to six members once the concept is fully implemented, Lillywhite said.

The plan includes using investigators from Sturgis and Three Rivers police departments to work in tandem with sheriff’s department counterparts.

Impact on resources

Knowing additional manpower is expected to result in more arrests, county commissioners, led by John Dobberteen, sought clarification from Lillywhite on the ripple effect.

Dobberteen said more arrests will require forward-thinking regarding the potential impact on the county’s jail resources and courtrooms. The department of human services also should be prepared, he said, since provisions will have to be in place for children who may become temporarily or permanently displaced from their parents arrested for drug-related offenses.

Lillywhite said he is confident of the impact the enhanced SCAN unit will have on crippling meth production in the county.

Anticipating and coordinating the needs of so many services is a part of the package, he said, adding that he has reviewed the concept with judges Jeff Middleton and Paul Stutesman and Prosecutor John McDonough.

Considering the amount of money the county is putting toward the effort, commissioner Robin Baker said he would like to see six-month updates from Lillywhite regarding progress of the enhanced operation.

Touching on a point made by Lillywhite, Commissioner Don Eaton summarized the effort by recognizing three categories of county services affected at each point of a drug-related arrest.

The arrest, Eaton said, culminates the time put into investigations and the manpower of SCAN unit officers. The legal process includes the services of a judge, prosecutor’s office and courtroom staff, a court-appointed attorney and jail services. The third step Eaton noted centers on CMHSAS and jail staff for treatment-related services.

Lillywhite said rehabilitation efforts for inmates addicted to meth have yielded some success stories.

“Celebrate Recovery” at Riverside Church in Three Rivers has a history of producing reformed meth addicts, he said.

Sobriety court, a year-old program offered through the county’s District Court, also has generated some life-changing behaviors for a number of its participants, Lillywhite said.

Lillywhite said all indications show everyone is on board with the enhanced SCAN unit and the potential strains more arrests will put on the system.

Dobberteen said history has shown that the process of arresting, prosecuting and releasing without attempted treatment is resulting in the same people returning to jail for the same offenses — typically meth.

Lillywhite agreed, but added that within the past 18 months, programs have been established to target meth addicts, including “Meth Men” in the county jail, “Celebrate Recovery,” “Sobriety Court” and other programs.

Commissioner Allen Balog said he is glad to see the county take steps to get a handle on the production, distribution and use of meth and other drugs in St. Joseph County.

“Doing nothing is not an option,” Balog said.

Period of measurement

Prior to the enhanced SCAN unit beginning its work — Lillywhite suggested it could be as soon as October — commissioners will have to decide from which county coffers the $308,000 it is providing to support the program will come.

“This is the baseline, this is a start, and as the work transpires over the course of a year, we’ll have a better way of measuring what needs to be improved